City Directories and History: The house at 338 President St. was built on Lot 168 of the Allan Tract. Amey Allan sold the property to Mr. Edward J. Murphy on September 20, 1916 subject to the regular restrictions for the neighborhood.[1] Mr. Murphy conveyed a one-half interest in the property to G.J. McDowell on June 1, 1917.[2] Together, the two owners built the house in early 1917 for $2250,[3] and sold the house to Mrs. Celestine M. Tucker on July 31, 1917.[4]
By 1918, Mr. William H. Tucker[5] and Mrs. Celestine M. Tucker had moved from 9 Gibbes St. to 338 President St. (which was known as 220 President St. from 1918 to 1922). Mr. Tucker was a son of Sarah Allan Haig. It appears that they were the ones to build the house on the lot. Mr. Tucker was a chemical broker at 39 Broad St. The Tuckers only stayed in the house about one year and moved back downtown to 32 Rutledge Ave.
Mrs. Tucker sold the house to Gertrude Plowden Miller on March 12, 1918.[6] James A. and Gertrude Miller moved from 9 Glenwood Ave. Mr. Miller was a part owner of the Miller Auto Livery Co. (later named the Miller Auto Transfer Co.), a taxi business. By 1925, Mr. Miller was retired, but by 1932, he was working in the auto repair business. After selling the house, the Millers moved downtown to 60A Tradd St.
Mrs. Miller had sold the house to Mr. John Diedrich Ernest Meyer who was living at 126 Church St. on June 7, 1932 along with other real estate.[7] Mr. Meyer was born August 27, 1890 in Charleston and attended the Citadel and graduated from the University of South Carolina School of Law in 1915.[8] It was a lawyer that Mr. Meyer made name for himself. He was admitted to the bar on June 8, 1915.[9]
During his forty-five years of practice he was once president of the Charleston County Bar Association and served as the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of South Carolina under Presidents Harding, Coolidge, and Hoover.[10] In 1938, he was the Republican candidate for the United States Senate, but he lost to incumbent Sen. E.D. Smith. On October 30, 1948, Mr. Meyer sold the house to Barbara W. Hollings.[11] Mr. Miller died aboard an ocean liner traveling to Germany on March 12, 1963.[12]
Although Mr. Miller was unsuccessful in his run for Congress, 338 President St. has ties to the United States Senate. In addition to Mr. Miller, his brother-in-law and sister, Mr. Adolph G. and Mrs. Wilhelmine Hollings, lived in the house. Mr. Hollings, a wholesale stationery and paper dealer at the Charleston Paper Co., Inc., moved from 208 Ashley Ave. Mr. Hollings’ own children would also be successes in Charleston. Most notably, Ernest F. Hollings, his son, lived in the house with his parents before becoming a successful lawyer, Lt. Governor, Governor of South Carolina, and United States senator. After the death of Mr. Hollings, Mrs. Hollings remained in the house until 1970.
On August 12, 1971, Barbara Hollings sold the house to Joseph L. Parker and Margie Robinson Parker for $22,500.[13] Mr. Parker was a medical technician with the Air Force. The Parkers apparently had trouble with the payments on the house; they were sued by Federal National Mortgage Association in a lawsuit that resulted in the house being put up for public sale. On August 3, 1976, following a high bid of $500, the United States Department of Veteran Affairs bought the house.[14]
After the Parkers left the house, the federal government apparently used the house as rental property. In 1976, Mr. James and Mrs. Annalee Powell moved in from 11A Larnes St. Mr. Powell worked for the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad Co. In 1977, however, the house again had no occupant listed. For one year, 1978, the house was occupied by a research assistant at the Gibbes Art Gallery, Gloria Mitchell. Then, in 1979, Mr. Benjamin and Mrs. Sadie A. Ross moved in. During their occupancy, on January 1, 1984, the federal government sold the house to Benjamin and Alfreda Sadie Ross Mitchell for $33,727.[15] The Rosses remained in the house until 1994, but no job listing was ever given for either of them. Instead, they were listed as retired.
On May 27, 1993, Alfreda S. Mitchell died and her interest in the house was inherited by Benjamin Mitchell; Ronald Mitchell; Deangelo Mitchell; Donna M. Ward; Gloria M. Johnson; and Carl I. Mitchell on June 22, 1994.[16] After the house was in the hands of the heirs, they sold it on June 22, 1994, to Stephen G. and Lisa W. (Calabrese) Eoannou for $115,000.[17] Mrs. Eoannou conveyed her interest in the house to Mr. Eoannou on June 24, 1996.[18] They remained in the house until selling it on March 12, 1999 for $256,300 to Ms. Barbara Hodges.[19]
Ms. Hodges undertook considerable work to the house including the additional of a fountain to the foyer, the construction of a fireplace in the living room, and the hanging of an elaborate chandelier. On January 11, 2000, Ms. Hodges committed suicide in the house. Her estate sold the house to Hans Futterman and Ellen R. Barnaby for $290,000 on March 24, 2000.[20] They only remained a short time and sold the house to the current owners, Mr. Thomas R. and Mrs. Travis B. Dew on October 13, 2000 for $332,000.[21] The Dews moved from 95 Moultrie St. to the house.
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SOURCES:
[1] Deed book W26, page 500
[2] Deed book N28, page 238
[3] News & Courier, Mar. 11, 1917 at 24
[4] Deed book N28, page 302
[5] (d. September 26, 1924)
[6] Deed book U28, page 78
[7] Deed book L34, page 507
[8] Who’s Who in South Carolina 1921, 117
[9] Snowden, History of South Carolina, Vol. 5 at 247
[10] Charleston News & Courier, March 15, 1963, 10A:2 and 11A:7-8
[11] Deed book S49, page 487
[12] Charleston News & Courier, March 14, 1963, 1A:2-4
[13] Deed book G97, page 249
[14] Deed book B110, page 410
[15] Deed book D135, page 536
[16] Deed book S244, page 15
[17] Deed book S244, page 19
[18] Deed book X270, page 62
[19] Deed book F322, page 783
[20] Deed book P345, page 462
[21] Deed book V356, page 165
[Researched and written by Kevin Eberle, 2005]
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